- present participle of deteriorate.
deteriorating
Americanadjective
-
becoming worse or inferior in condition, character, quality, value, etc..
A deteriorating house, whatever the cause, will have an adverse effect on your real estate investment.
Officials have warned of a deteriorating security situation in the disputed territory.
-
disintegrating or wearing away.
If what you have underneath is fabric or fiberglass, I’d be concerned that deteriorating paint is letting ultraviolet rays do their worst to your aircraft.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of deteriorating
First recorded in 1680–90; deteriorate ( def. ) + -ing 2 ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
On the rapidly deteriorating pitch, Mitchell was hit on the helmet, body or hands 13 times, yet dogged it out for an unbeaten 100 from 241 balls.
From BBC • Jun. 28, 2026
For decades, the north campus had no resident population, remaining a collection of vacant deteriorating buildings and residential programs for physical and mental health recovery.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 26, 2026
“The second is a deteriorating fundamental backdrop that has historically included a tightening Federal Reserve and a weakening outlook for earnings growth.”
From Barron's • May 27, 2026
“Households’ views on their personal financial situation, both past and future, are deteriorating once again,” the statistics agency said.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026
I learned so much so fast, and now my mind is deteriorating rapidly.
From "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
